Hurt
by SilentWater13
Summary: Neil's acting strange and the team tries to find out what's wrong. What they discover will change them forever. Archiexneil oneshot


Disclaimer: I own about as much as everyone else around here, which adds up to nothing.

Warnings: Abuse, mentions of rape and depression. Also, drugs and homosexuality. Any problems with this sort of thing, then don't read it.

* * *

Hurt 

'Hey, guys. Have you see Neil's new look?' Archie asked the team as they turned to look at him, 'I think he's actually losing it this time.'

'No, I haven't, actually. I didn't see him this morning at all. I think he left early,' Jay replied, glancing quizzically at his friend, 'Is it really that bad?'

'Try combat boots, pants that would actually fall off him if they weren't held up by a bullet belt, wife beater and a jean jacket that looks like some pit bull got it,' Archie replied, then grinned, 'I think he's emo…or gay.' Atlanta punched him solidly in the arm and he yelped, glaring at her as he rubbed the budding bruise gently.

'What'd you do now, Archie?' a voice asked from behind him, causing the group to jump. They turned, and did a double take. Neil stood behind them, the ruined laces of his combat boots hanging limp in their holes, nearly dragging on the ground. His jeans were obviously too big, hanging off him and he was wearing not one, but two belts. One was studded with bullet casings and the other was studded with stars. All of his clothes were black. His hair was gelled up into a mohawk, his eyes hidden behind very large sunglasses. One earphone dangled as though he had pulled it out merely to hear their answer, the other firmly in place. An unlit cigarette dangled from the corner of his mouth.

'Er…what happened to you?' Atlanta asked, stunned. The bony teen shrugged, rolling the cigarette around the corners of his mouth.

'Are you okay, Neil?' Theresa tried.

'Fine,' Neil answered, raising an eyebrow, 'Why? What's up?' The team glanced at each other, raised their own eyebrows and shrugged back at him.

'Okay,' he smirked, sticking the other earphone back in his ear before pivoting on his heel and walking away, shaking his head all the while. He stopped, pulling the PMR out of one of his large pockets as they all went off in unison. 'Yep?' he answered, clicking it on.

_'Good afternoon. I would like you all to report back to Olympus immediately. It seems something has come up,'_ the static-infused voice of Hera told them quickly. The line went dead abruptly, and Neil glared at it.

'Way to be friendly,' he muttered, jamming it back into his pocket before stalking back to the school.

* * *

'It seems Cronus plans to attack largely populated areas to flush us out, according to Cassandra,' Hera told them, 'All I ask is that you keep an eye out for an increase in trouble, stay close to the dorms and school, and stick together.' 

'So this is mainly a warning and not an actual problem?' Neil asked, frowning from his spot of leaning against the wall, 'Wouldn't it have been easier to tell us using our PMR?'

'Not as of late. We have reason to believe that Cronus may be able to access the frequency line in the PMR, thus rendering it useless for carrying important information,' the goddess replied, smiling slightly at her usually clueless pupil, 'But that was an excellent observation.'

Neil nodded thoughtfully, still frowning as he glanced at his pocket, 'So, if he can hack them, can he trace us?'

Hera looked momentarily surprised, though it quickly turned to worry. 'I did not consider that,' she confessed, studying him thoughtfully, 'As it is, you are dismissed. Neil, I would like a word.' The team was still staring at him in outright surprise, though they left as directed.

'Neil, is there something you wish to tell me?' Hera asked when they had left the room, 'Something that might influence your current attire and attentiveness.'

'Nope,' he replied, clearly hiding something as he shifted nervously against the wall, 'Why do you ask?'

'Perhaps because of your current hairstyle and clothes that you would never have been seen in on any previous day,' she replied firmly, 'I would like to know what you are hiding.

Neil gulped. 'Hiding,' he asked with a short and unconvincing laugh, 'I'm not hiding anything.'

'Oh, really,' Hera replied, her eyes narrowing like those of a concerned parent, 'Then what, exactly, is going on.'

'Promise that you won't tell anyone?' Neil asked quietly, his eyes pleading behind his dark sunglasses. Hera nodded, surprised with the turn of events, having decided that Neil was planning on being difficult.

'I got dumped…hard,' Neil told her miserably, one hand rubbing his slender arm. Hera sighed. This was Aphrodite's department, not hers.

The goddess wrapped an arm around the teen, pulling him into a gentle embrace. 'I'm sure that whoever this young lady is, she will realize that she has made a big mistake, even if she does not return to you. As they say, there are plenty of fish in the sea.'

'Boyfriend,' Neil muttered, and Hera glanced down in confusion, 'Mitch was a guy. And he dumped me for a girl.'

Hera sighed, as the tearstained face turned upwards to gauge her reaction. She gave him a soft smile and tightened her grip. 'I stand by my earlier comment, there are plenty of fish in the sea.'

Neil gave her a watery smile and extracted himself from her grip, 'Thanks, Hera.' She nodded as he turned to leave.

'By the way,' he called over his shoulder, 'I happen to like my hair this way. It's cool.'

She laughed, shaking her head at him, and muttering something about teenagers.

* * *

'Neil, what's the deal,' Jay asked as the teen finally came out of the bathroom, freshly showered, 'This Mitch guy won't stop calling. He told me to tell you that he made a terrible mistake and wants to apologize. What's that all about?' 

'Nothing,' Neil muttered, his brightened face belying the fact that it wasn't, in fact,"nothing", 'I'd better call him back.' Grabbing the phone out of Jay's hand, he raced down the hall to his room, towel fluttering as he went. Jay heard the click of a lock and sighed, shaking his head at his friend's strange antics.

'So, when do we snoop?' Theresa asked, coming up behind him, followed by Archie and Odie.

'What? That's completely unethical!' Jay replied firmly, then added sheepishly, 'When did you want to start?'

'Now good for you?' Theresa asked, grinning.

'I've invented a sound amplifying wire that we can slip under the door. It also reads frequencies and translates them into sounds if directed in the proper way. We'll be able to hear both sides of the conversation,' Odie told them excitedly, then added slyly, 'It also has video.'

'Alright. So it's settled,' Archie grinned, 'Just don't let him know we're here.'

They crept quietly down the hall, crouching beside Neil's door. Odie set down his lap top and plugged in a wire. Typing in a command, it slithered under the door and made its way to Neil's dresser, slithering up the back of it and hiding amongst various magazines and clippings. The stereo was on, and a mixture of HIM, My Chemical Romance, Tool, Korn, Drowning Pool and Deftones flowed from the speakers, turned down low so Neil could hear the speaker on the other end of the line. Neil lay on the bed, his lithe frame clad in only a pair of boxers that were much too large and didn't look as if they'd ever fit.

'…_want, Mitch?' _Neil was saying, his expression belying the bite of his tone. Someone, who they assumed was Mitch, answered him in a husky tone.

_**Look, Neil. I'm really sorry for the way I treated you and I wanted to apologize. It was wrong.**_

_Didn't look like you were too concerned about right or wrong when you were shoving you're tongue down Vanessa's throat._

_**I know, I know. But I'm sorry. It was a big mistake, probably the biggest I've made besides jacking my old man's car. I'm sorry, can you please forgive me?**_

Neil sighed, rolling onto his side in obvious distress. This also served to turn him away from the camera which Odie moved to get a better view, keeping it hidden behind the mess in Neil's room.

_I don't know, Mitch. Whose to say you won't do the exact same thing the minute my back is turned?_

**_Scout's honor, Neil. _**The voice became more serious and urgent. **_Please come back to me, baby. I promise I'll make it up to you. I don't know how, but I will._**

_Well…_

**_Please, baby. Come by my place tonight so I can apologize properly._**

_I don't know. I'm not supposed to leave the dorm tonight. _Neil stood up, searching for some clothing and Odie blanked the video while he dressed.

_**So sneak out. You've done it before. And look, I'll cook dinner and we can watch a movie and then I'll make it up to you. How's that sound?**_

_Alright, I'll be over in twenty. You better make it up to me properly, Mitch._

_**I'll be waiting.**_

_Bye, Mitch._

_**Bye, pet.**_

The video snapped back on, revealing Neil opening the window. He glanced at the door to his room briefly, and then grabbed hold of the branch outside his window, hauling himself out, the curtains billowing behind him.

Archie glanced aghast at his friends, 'Neil's gay?'

'I don't think so,' Jay replied, 'Remember all those girls he's dated. I think he's either bisexual or just trying something new.' Archie nodded, seeming a little more at ease, though still uncomfortable.

'Er, guys? A little more pressing problem here,' Theresa reminded, 'We're not supposed to leave the dorm, remember?'

'Right, but I think we have even more pressing problems than that,' Odie replied, then elaborated at the quizzical looks from his friends, 'This guy has obviously cheated on Neil, right?'

'Yeah, so he's slime. He did apologize though,' Archie replied, 'Neil's just not good at dating the right people. Like that girl he was dating and walked in on her with his arch enemy in the modeling business. He was depressed for a week.'

'If he's cheated, it's just like Neil said. What's to stop him from doing it again?' Theresa mused.

'Or taking advantage of Neil,' Jay added, 'This could get messy.'

'Do you think we should snoop?' Archie asked, 'Or tell Hera and let her deal with it?'

'I vote Hera,' Odie put in, 'I figure if we snoop, then Neil's only going to be more upset. If we tell Hera, he'll be upset with her instead of us. And there is the problem of not knowing where this Mitch guy lives.'

'Well, if we can't follow him, we could always search his room,' Archie suggested.

'Isn't that an invasion of privacy?' Atlanta asked from behind them, causing them to jump, 'What's going on?'

'Er…we were worried about Neil so we used Odie's new snooping device,' Archie answered sheepishly. Atlanta raised an eyebrow, studying them impassively.

'Gee, I hope you never get worried about me,' Atlanta replied, Herry nodding from behind her, 'So…what did you find?'

Odie grinned and turned back to the screen, pressing the replay button as the other two crowded closer. Atlanta listened carefully, and then turned to Jay when it was finished.

'How about we search this jerk's room instead of Neil's? Then we can find a reason to pound the daylights out of him,' Atlanta asked, already disliking Mitch as much as the others, 'I'm surprised about the part that said jerk is a guy, though.'

'Hold on,' Herry interrupted suddenly, 'Neil's gay?'

'Bisexual,' Archie corrected automatically, 'He's dated tons of girls, remember?'

'Oh, yeah,' Herry replied, frowning, 'But he still likes guys.'

Archie turned sharply to Jay, 'Umm…locker room problem. What do we do about this?'

'When's the last time he's come to a training session and needed to use the locker room, Archie?' Jay asked, raising an eyebrow.

'Point,' Archie agreed.

'So, are we searching his room, or not?' Theresa asked, glancing around.

'I vote search and destroy,' Archie input.

'We aren't destroying anything. That would defeat the purpose of snooping because Neil would know and hide anything he didn't want us to see the next time,' Jay told him, 'But I'm all for snooping.'

The rest of the team nodded and Odie set to picking the locks on Neil's door.

* * *

The door opened before Neil had a chance to properly knock and he was pulled into the tight embrace of the dark haired man. Mitch's stubbly cheek rubbed firmly against his as the man searched out his lips and set to work on his mouth, sliding his tongue inside and filling every crevice. Neil moaned, fitting his body perfectly against his boyfriend. Mitch kicked the door shut on the empty hallway, pulling Neil over to the couch and toppling them both onto it. He unbuttoned Neil's worn-out dress shirt, sliding off of the teen and working open his pants. 

He scraped his fingernails lightly across the small of Neil's back, causing the boy to moan and arch up into him, letting him slide the pants and boxers off of the thin frame. He was already shirtless, not having put one on that morning, and it didn't take long to rid himself of his pants. Neil whimpered in delight at the skin-to-skin contact and soon both were lost in bliss.

* * *

Neil lay across the broad chest of the older man, limp as a rag doll and thoroughly content to remain right where he was. Mitch pushed a lock of sweaty blonde hair off his face and tilted his chin up for a lingering kiss. Sighing, Neil relaxed, letting Mitch do as he pleased now that he was too tired to care. 

'Come along, pet. We'll take a shower and then I've made dinner, just like I promised,' Mitch told him with a smirk.

'No friends this time, right?' Neil asked, 'I wasn't really too comfortable with all those people…er…joining in.'

Mitch raised an eyebrow and Neil sensed he had once again toed too close to the invisible line that marked a content Mitch and an angry and sometimes violent Mitch.

'I think who I let into my apartment is my business, Neil,' Mitch told him silkily, 'And what I do with them is my business, too.'

'I didn't mean that,' Neil amended, 'I meant what they did with me. Or, rather, to me.' Mitch raised an eyebrow and Neil sensed he had lost the argument, even if he didn't know how he had done so.

'I think you should go take a shower,' Mitch told him thinly, anger clouding his features. Neil nodded and jumped up, heading for the bathroom on shaky legs. Mitch stared after him, and then reached for the phone.

* * *

A scratching at the side of the house alerted the six teens to Neil's arrival and they darted as one for the large closet. Cracking it open slightly, they watched as he climbed over the sill, and limped to the center of the room. He slipped out of his shirt, letting it fall to the ground. Archie clamped a hand over Theresa's mouth before she could gasp and reveal their location. 

Several angry red lines crisscrossed over his back, as though he had been whipped and his torso was covered in bruises, most resembling finger prints of various sizes. He ran a finger over one such bruise, wincing as tears welled up in his eyes. They spilled over, and he brushed a hand across his face angrily, grabbing his housecoat off the hook. He jammed his arms into it, and grabbed his towel from another hook on the back of his bedroom door, dashing away more tears. Taking a deep breath, he crept out of his room, heading to the bathroom.

'Yep, definitely not good at picking the lucky ones,' Archie commented softly, hitting the lights. He blinked, staring at the walls of the closet in awe. Graffiti covered the walls like a second skin. Empty spray paint cans littered the floor, some having rolled under the desk at the far end of the large closet. It was more a small room than a closet, and a sleeping bag with a pillow jutted out from under the desk. A bloody handprint decorated the desk, complement the lyrics of various songs that were scrawled across the wall, sometimes running over and disappearing in the black outlines of the graffiti. A bottle of anti-depressants prescribed to Neil Waters sat in the open drawer of the desk. Beside it were a switchblade and a blank notepad and pen. Ashes littered the metal interior of the second drawer, along with a silver lighter. One corner of a piece of burned paper had partially survived the carnage. Two letters were written on the charred paper. **R **and **A**.

Jay had a no idea of what the rest of it would have said, though his face still paled at the sight of it. Flipping through the notebook, he found the words _Don't call him. Don't e-mail him. Don't go back to him._ hidden near the back. It was an odd mantra, but Jay decided that it only proved that this was not the first time he had been in trouble. Gesturing to the others, they crept quietly out from Neil's rather creepy closet.

* * *

'Hey, Neil!' Archie yelled, catching up to the blonde haired boy who was stalking towards the dorm, 'Where did you go last night?' He had not had a chance to talk much to the youngest teen since the day before they snooped-which had been a little over a week ago-and even then it had been more talking _at_ him than _to_ him. Neil paused, giving him time to catch up and fall into step beside him before answering. 

'Nowhere,' he said softly, running a hand though his hair which he had decided to wear limp and gel-less today. Archie blew out an annoyed breath, letting go of the hope that Neil wouldn't be difficult with him.

'You weren't in your room, so where did you go?' Archie demanded. Thunder sounded distantly as if echoing his frustrated and unspoken sentiments. Neil glanced up at the rapidly darkening sky and quickened his pace.

'Out,' he answered tonelessly, glancing at Archie in what could only be described as aggravation. Archie stared back at him, until Neil looked away with a sigh. He stepped up his pace again, more to get away from his friend than anything else.

'Neil? Are you sure you're alright?' Archie asked, 'Is there anything you want to tell me?'

'Yes, actually,' Neil replied, turning to face him abruptly, 'I've had everyone on my case for the past _week_ and I want you all to step off.'

Archie gave him a look. 'That wasn't what I meant…'

'Then you shouldn't have asked,' Neil told him, continuing onwards as if Archie weren't there again. Archie hurriedly fell into step behind him, conscious of how uptight Neil seemed today. Silently he began to think up ways to convince his friend to talk to him. Coming up with nothing and growling with impatience, he glared at the blonde, deciding to focus on the best possible way to whoop some sense into him.

'Neil, look. If you're having problems, you know you can talk to me, right? I mean, I _am _your friend,' Archie asked.

Neil sighed, taking his time to let out the long breath. 'Yeah, I know.'

'You'll tell me if something's going down, right, Neil?' he prompted, somehow needing Neil to answer this particular question.

'I'll tell you if I think you could help me. I can't promise anything else, Okay?' Neil compromised, glancing at him in a way that was almost asking for forgiveness. Archie sighed and nodded. After all, he hadn't really expected Neil to even listen to him in the first place. Neil nodded gratefully, and unlocked the door to the dormitories. Archie grabbed his arm, stopping him from walking away. Neil spun around, finding himself inches from the other teen.

'You know I'm just worried about you, right?' Archie asked, breath ghosting over Neil's face. He nodded, trying to free his wrist from Archie's grip. The older teen let go, compromising by wrapping his arms around Neil.

'Archie? What are you doing?' Neil asked, surprised at the way his friend was acting towards him.

'You know, I don't actually know,' Archie decided, leaning in and pressing a soft kiss to the blonde's lips. Neil relaxed, automatically giving up control as Archie pulled him closer. Archie's hand slid up under his shirt, causing his to shiver as it brushed lightly across his skin. Slowly, almost reluctantly, the older teen pulled away, releasing Neil. Neil touched a slender finger to his lips in something akin to wonder.

'Goodnight, Neil,' he whispered, turning and entering the dorms, leaving Neil standing alone on the front porch with the memory of Archie's lips on his.

* * *

'Hello, Neil,' Mitch whispered into his ear from behind him, causing him to shiver in something akin to fear. He hated it when Mitch was like this. And all because of the alcohol, too. 

'Hello, Mitch,' Neil replied softly, 'What's wrong?' This was apparently the wrong thing to ask, as Mitch grabbed him by the shoulder, spinning him around and shoving him up against the wall. The older man slapped him solidly across the face and leaned in close.

'What's up with you and the purple-haired kid?' Mitch hissed, the putrid smell of alcohol nearly making Neil gag, 'I saw you making out with him. You trying to show me up, pet?'

'No, Mitch,' Neil whimpered, now really scared, 'He's just a friend, that's all.'

'That better be all, because you belong to me,' Mitch replied silkily, 'and I'm going to make sure you never forget it again.'

He flung Neil to the ground, causing the boy to grunt and roll out of the way of what would have been a solid kick to the stomach. He already knew that throwing up would just piss Mitch off more. Mitch picked him up, slamming him solidly into the wall. Neil slid down, fighting unconsciousness at the bottom. A half sob escaped his lips as Mitch's fist made contact with his face, snapping it to the side. Blood tricked down his cheek from the small cut made by Mitch's grad ring. He curled into a ball, and Mitch kicked him solidly in the base of the spine, causing him to uncurl in pain. Whimpering, he acknowledged the cool air as his shirt was all but ripped off of him, tearing it in the process.

The belt lashed down onto his unprotected back without warning, making him cry out with pain. He wrapped his arms around his head, waiting for it to all be over. He heard the zipper come undone before too long, and knew at that moment that tonight was going to be really bad. A drunk, horny, violent and angry Mitch was not something he really wanted to deal with at the moment. Sobbing hysterically, he braced himself for the inevitable.

* * *

Neil stumbled into the dorm, shirtless and in pain. Actually, pain was an understatement, he was in agony. He half-stumbled, half-clawed his way to the bathroom, intent on taking a shower to clear his head. He flicked on the lights, nearly blinding himself with the brightness of the lights. He stumbled further into the bathroom, forgetting about the door in the process, and swaying slightly. Lightheadedness hit him like a brick, and he nearly toppled to the ground. If he had been thinking clearly enough, he would have asked himself how in the hell he had walked all the way from Mitch's apartment to the dorms without collapsing. The room spun and Neil finally gave in to unconsciousness, collapsing to the ground with a thump. 

The noise woke the other occupants with a snap, jolting them from their beds and into the hallway, armed and ready to investigate. Glancing at each other, they nodded and Jay gestured for them to follow his lead as he made his way down the hall. Tiptoeing quietly, save for Herry's loud thumping footstepswhich caused Atlanta to roll her eyes in exasperation, the made the trip safely. Jay happened to glace in the lit bathroom as he passed, and stopped dead.

'Neil?' he asked softly, receiving no answer from his obviously injured teammate. Welts littered his back, black,blue and purplebruises decorating the snow white flesh. Jay knelt beside him as the rest of the team crowded in the doorway to see what was going on. Gently, he turned over the limp form, Neil's feverishly warm flesh heating hishand. Gently he patted the relatively unscathed right cheek, receiving no response.

'Neil!' Archie yelped, finally catching sight of the wounded boy. He raised a shaking hand to his mouth, preventing any more outbursts.

'We need to get him to Chiron,' Jay told them over his shoulder, 'Odie, see if you can find anything that might give us the four-one-one on this Mitch guy in Neil's stuff. Atlanta and Herry, you guys get something to carry him with. Archie, bring me a bowl of warm water and a cloth so I can try and clean some of this up. Theresa, get him a change of clothes, preferably loose.'

Absently, he rubbed his hand against Neil's cheek, causing the younger teen to moan softly, and try to curl up. Carefully, Jay held him down, until the reflex had passed and he lay still. He passed a hand over one of the bruises, this time over a rib, as Archie returned with the water.

Nodding his thanks, he watched as Archie cradled Neil's head, settling it gently in his lap to support him. He flashed Jay a look, daring him to say anything, but the leader only smiled and looked away. Brushing the wet cloth over the worst of the bloodstains, Jay got to work, silently cleaning Neil's wounds.

Theresa came back into the room with one of Archie's old sweatshirts and a pair of sweatpants. She placed the neatly folded pile down on the bathroom counter, sheepishly placing a pair of undergarments and socks on top.

'I think this is your sweatshirt, Archie,' she told them, 'But I wasn't sure because I found it in one of Neil's drawers.'

'I leant that to him three months ago,' Archie replied tonelessly, 'To protect his hair from the rain…and to stop his whining about getting wet.' The other two grinned weakly, not sure whether he was joking or not, and not really feeling like laughing much.

'Hey, guys!' Herry called, his heavy footsteps thumping down the hall, 'Did you know we had a stretcher?'

'Yes,' Theresa replied, 'Hephaestus gave it to us in case of an emergency.'

'You mean like now?' Archie asked dryly, looking pointedly at the unconscious face in his lap.

Theresa bit her lip. 'Yeah, I guess so.'

'Hey guys,' Atlanta called, reappearing in the bathroom, 'I found a blanket we can use to cover him.'

Jay took one look at the horridly ugly knit quilt and laughed. 'Are you trying to get back at him for something?'

'Well…he did put us through quite a ride with his enormous ego,' Atlanta replied, eyes sparkling. Jay nodded, still smirking and motioned the girls out.

'I found something, too,' Odie told them, appearing in the doorway, 'Apparently Mitch Reston has a business card. So I looked him up on the internet, and he has a ton of rape and abuse files open on him. This guy's so deep, more than half his ex's have restraining orders on him. He's also supposed to be in jail for the murder of Sandra Jones. But he's not.'

'Hold the phone,' Archie interrupted, 'This guy left his calling card and he's a murderer?'

'And a rapist,' Odie added, 'And a pedophile. He was also booked a few times for buying and selling child pornography.'

'Holy shit,' Jay murmured, studying Neil's broken body solemnly, 'We have to get him to Chiron now. Odie, call the cops and leave an anonymous tip on the guy.'

Odie nodded, and the rest of the team left the bathroom, leaving Jay and Archie alone to dress Neil.

* * *

'I have done all I can for him,' Chiron explained to the teens, 'All he needs now is bed rest and understanding.' The team nodded in agreement, glancing towards the curtain that hid the sleeping Neil from view. 

Jay's PMR went off abruptly, and he glanced down at it. 'That'll be Odie,' he told them, 'Let's hope it's good news. Hello?'

'Jay,' Odie's urgent voice came through, slightly distorted by static, 'We have a problem.'

'What do you mean?' he asked, confused. How could there be a problem, there wasn't anything that could have gone wrong.

'He's in the dorm,' Odie whispered, 'and I can't get out.'

'Where are you?' Jay demanded, panicked.

'In Neil's closet,' Odie replied breathlessly, 'And I think he's nearly broken through the locks on Neil's bedroom door.'

'Just hang on, Odie,' Jay told him quickly, 'we'll be right over. Guys, Mitch is in the dorm. We have to get to Odie.'

'What!' came the collective yell, exploding around the leader in a flurry of panic. They glanced at each other, completely at a loss as to what to do.

'Come on,' Jay ordered, turning and running down the hallway, heading back to New Olympia.

* * *

Odie listened from his spot huddled at the back of Neil's darkened closet, praying to every god he knew of (and quite a few he didn't) that he would be spared Neil's fate and left alone. As far as that went, and considering Neil was the lucky one, his chances were rather slim. The door rattled again, as something heavy smashed into it, hard. The object repeated its frenzied striking, causing locks and door to groan in protest. It struck once more, and the hinges gave way, the entire door crashing to the ground. Odie prayed that Mitch wouldn't turn on the lights, giving him a better chance to escape, and the man turned around. Then he flipped the switch on the wall. 

'Hello there,' Mitch said softly, a small smile decorating his aristocratic features, twisting them into something malicious and ugly. The man had dark hair, black eyes that seemed to Odie to resemble the pits of hell, stubble as though he hadn't shaved in a week and very white teeth. He wore a large sweatshirt and jeans, and was about 6'1" in height. He looked to be about twenty-seven.

'Who are you and what do you want?' Odie demanded, his voice shaking slightly.

'I think you know. After all, you did try to turn me in to the cops,' Mitch replied, 'Or didn't you realize I had your entire dorm bugged, Odie.' Odie's eyes nearly bulged out of his sockets. The things this man could have learned were dangerous to the team, and what's more, frequently talked about in the dorm.

'Get out!' Odie told him, his voice quivering as he stuttered on his words. He thrust the broken handle of a broom that he had grabbed for protection at the man. Mitch laughed, grabbing the handle and wrenching it from his grasp.

'Leave him alone,' Jay snapped from the bedroom door. Mitch turned, smirking at the teens.

'Oh, you're all here,' he teased, 'now it's playtime. Get 'em, boys.' Six burly men leapt out of various concealed hiding places, immediately attacking the teenagers. For several minutes they struggled, Archie quickly finding that his whip was useless in the closed confines of Neil's room. Tripping over a pile of loose clothing, he found himself pinned to the floor. A yelp of pain told him that Theresa was out of action as well. He lost track of his surroundings as a meaty fist drilled him in the face, bloodying his nose.

'Stop!' someone yelled, the weak shout echoing throughout the room, 'Stop or I'll shoot!' Everyone froze, turning to stare at the pale figure of Neil Waters leaning against the doorframe, a gun held in a shaking hand.

'Hello, pet,' Mitch hissed, taking a step towards the exhausted teen. Neil pointed the muzzle of the gun at the husky man.

'Go to hell, Mitch,' he said calmly, and fired. The sharp retort echoed throughout the room, a decidedly final sound. The older man looked down, his eyes widening as his face paled. He looked up at Neil and laughed, a harsh, maniacal sound that set their teeth on edge. Neil didn't take his eyes off of his former lover. Reality soon took over, and blood welled up in Mitch's mouth, and with a gurgling noise, he sank to the floor.

'Everyone else who doesn't live here,' Neil declared, 'Better be gone in three seconds or I'll call the cops.' The meaty men scrambled from the room, escaping from the building as fast as possible, never to be seen by the heroes again.

Neil's burst of calm and strength decided to desert him then and there. 'It's over,' he whispered, stumbling forwards. Archie leapt up and caught him as he fell, the gun slipping from his slender fingers and clattering to the floor, 'It's finally over.'

'Yeah,' Archie whispered, as the blue eyes slid shut, 'It's really over.'

* * *

The paramedics had arrived soon after, taking Mitch away to the hospital and assuring the teens that with a little surgery, Mitch would be well and behind bars. 

'What I don't understand,' Jay began, as they sat around the TV in the living room, watching the man being led from the hospital to the waiting police van, 'Is how you managed to get to us in time.'

'I woke up because I was thirsty,' Neil replied, once again dressed in a black wife beater and jeans, coupled with a studded belt and combat boots, 'Then I asked Chiron, and I quote, "Where in the _hell_ is everybody?"'

Archie laughed, wrapping his arm around his new boyfriends' waist. 'I bet he was impressed with that.'

'Actually, he was so shocked, he told me everything without trying to force me back to bed. Then I punked the gun from Ares' storehouse and hopped on the bike I asked Hephaestus to fix up for me. The rest you know,' Neil replied with a shrug.

'So what did you learn from all of this?' Theresa asked, with a motherly air.

Neil glanced pointedly at Archie. 'Absolutely nothing.' The group laughed, and Archie, smirking, leaned in for a quick kiss, his hand brushing Neil's cheek as he pulled the other boy closer.

'Look, guys. We love you, but…' Odie began, 'GET A ROOM!'

Neil and Archie just laughed.

* * *

Loved it, hated it. Let me know. Please review. 

Me


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